Can-labeling machine.



v PATENTE'D APR. 18, 1905. s. E. & J. MORRAL. GAIN LABELING MACHINE.- AP 'PLIOATION PILED SEPT. l.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

) awv emfidu) .SamueZE'JlorraZ UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL MORRAL, OFMORRAL, AND JOHN MORRAL, OF LARUE, OHIO, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID SAMUEL E. MORRAL AND WVILLIAM W. MORRAL, OF MORRAL, OHIO.

CAN-LABELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 787,628, dated April 18, 1905. Application filed September 1, 1903. Serial No. 171,499.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SAMUEL E. MORRAL, residing at Morral, and JOHN MORRAL, residing at Larue, in the county of Marion and State of Ohio, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Can-Labeling Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suc'has will enable others skilled in the art to which it 'appertains to make and use the same.

This invention, relating to machines for applying labels to cans, has for its object to provide a machine of this kind of simple and economical construction whereby cans can be rapidly and effectively labeled.

The features of novelty are pointed out in the claims following the description.

In the accompanying drawings, in which we illustrate an embodiment of the improvements, Figure 1 is aside view of the machine. Fig. 2 is atop plan view, parts of the canmoving belts broken out. Fig. 3 is a detail in plan view of the label holding and pasting devices in the can-runway or top of the frame. Fig. 4: is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the can-runway, showing labels and pastebelt. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the device for holding down the rear ends of the labels. Fig. 6 is a view of the belt-scraper on the paste-box.

In the several views, 1 designates the bed, and 1 top rails supported above the bed, and upon which bed and top rails the operative parts are mounted. This bed is shown to be supported upon suitable legs 1 2 designates a label-holder that is slidably supported and guided by appropriate guides 2, secured to the under side of the bed or runway. The label-holder is pressed up to put the labels in labeling position by means of a spring 2", drawing on a lever 2 ful crumed on the lower end of a rigid hanger 2, extending downward from the under side of the bed. The pressure of the spring 2 can be regulated by means of an adjustable nut 2 3designates the labels. These are placed in a pile or package on top of the label-holder, so as to be fed up and exposed through an opening in the bed, a plate 4, serrated for the purpose hereinafter described, being secured at the rear end of the label-opening to hold the labels down flush or nearly flush with the runway of the cans. The forward end of the uppermost label is held down until removed by a can by means of a gravity-actuated rearwardly-extending arm 5, pivoted to swing in a vertical plane between the top rails 1*.

Y J ournaled in suitable brackets extending laterally from the sills of the bed and the top rails are four belt-wheels 6. These belt-wheels stand or turn in a horizontal plane, and pass' ing around their rims is the paste-belt 7, which normally runs in vertical planes. The belt crosses the bed at the forward end of the machine at a point sufliciently beyond'the labelholder to permit the can to make about one revolution on the runway by the time it reaches the label, and the belt also crosses the rear portion of the runway at a point where the label will have been picked up and wrapped around the'can. Small conical idlerrollers 8 can be provided on each side of the bed where the paste-belt crosses, adapted to incline the upper edge of the belt toward the rear of the machine, so that it will be turned down flat toward-the bed by the can when it passes through the machine. The bed can be grooved out transversely, as indicated at 1', where the belt crosses at the front of the machine, so that the belt at this portion of the machine can be depressed by the can to lie flush with the upper surface of the bed or runway.

8 designates small spring-arms attached at their forward ends to the sills 1 at each side of the runway, said spring-arms having their rear ends enlarged laterally, as indicated at 8", and lying over the path of the belt where it crosses thefront end of the machine. These enlarged ends constitute depressible covers for the belt at opposite sides of the machine to prevent the application of paste to the sides of the cans near their ends. I/Vhen paste is applied to the can over its entire length, more or less of it is squeezed out beyond the label, thus occasioning a smearing of the can and label, as well as of the machine.

9 designates the paste-box. This is supported at one side of the machine in the plane of the belt. The belt passes through slots (not shown, but well understood) in the opposite sides of the paste-box, and where the belt passes out of the box an adjustable scraper (shown in Fig. 6) to regulate the quantity of paste left on the belt is provided. The scraper shown comprises a blade 10, pivoted to the box at its upper end and made at its lower end with a notch to fit one side and the edges of the belt at the place of its exit from the box, a spring 10 being provided to hold the blade toward the side of the belt and also an adjustable screw-stop 10 to limit the throw of the scraping end of the blade toward the belt. The belt in passing through the paste-box takes, of course, more or less paste on both its sides. Arranged over the belt where it crosses the rear end of the machine is a serrated plate 11, having spring-arms 11, reaching toward the front of the machine and on each side of the label-. holder, the forward ends of such arms being attached to the sills 1. The serrated plate 11 is pressed down by the approaching can, and its function is to prevent the belt from dragging the label off the can.

Journaled in horizontal bearings on the front and rear ends of the upper rails are band-wheels 12, on which run belts 12. These band-wheels can be driven by hand or by other power. A gearing with a hand-crank 13 is shown for this purpose at the forward or left-hand end of the machine, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. The paste-belt is also shown to be driven by the same means, a belt 14 running from the shaft of the forwardbandwheel 12 to a pulley 14 on the shaft of one of the paste-belt wheels 6 to transmit the power.

The cans are propelled or drawn through the machine by the belts 12, which act on the cans near their rims or ends. To give pressure to the cans where they take up the labels, those portions of the belts 12' that act on the cans to roll them along are sagged by means of rollers 15, journaled in frames 15, hinged to the toprails l and pressed down by springs 15", secured on cross-pieces 15 between the top rails 1. Between. the rollers 15 there is journaled in bearings in the top rails 1 another roller 18, adapted to hold or beat or assist in holding or beating the label to the can. This roller can be provided with beaters or rubbers of flexible material adapted by their contact with the label to press out and smooth the label onto the can. A further function of theroller 18 is to detach the label from the belts 12, shouldthere be a tendency of the label to stick to those belts. This roller 18 is hung in slotted bearings and is turned by the contact of its ends with the belts 12*.

Guid e-bars 16, secured to the standards supporting the top rails 1, can be arranged along each side of the runway to keep the cans always at right angles to their path of motion.

In operation the paste-belt and the canmoving belts are kept in motion. The can (designated 17, Fig. 2) first takes paste off the forward portion of the paste-belt where the latter crosses the runway. As the can rolls along this paste picks up the forward end of the uppermost or exposed label, which is wrapped about the can by the rearward rolling of the latter, and the further rolling of the can pulls the other or rear end of the label from under the serratedplate 4, and because this end of the label contains paste taken from the belt, as before described, it is secured to the can. The labels of course will ordinarily be long enough to permit the lapping of the rear end of the label on the forward end, which has been attached to the can. As fast as the labels are removed from the label-holder the latter is moved up by the spring 2 to expose another label in the runway.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, an endless paste-belt to travel across said run way in front of the label-holder to deliver paste to the can and across the rear end of the label to deliver paste to the label, and a source of paste to supply the paste-belt.

2. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, an endless paste-belt crossing the runway at two points, the portion of the belt crossing at one point adapted to apply paste to the can and the portion crossing at the other adapted to apply paste to the label, and a source of paste to supply the said belt.

3. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, and a paste-belt to travel edgewise across said runway in front of the label.

4. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, and a paste-belt to travel edge wise across said runway in front of the label and also across the rear end of the label.

5. In a can-labeling machine, the combina tion of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway and a paste-belt to travel edgewise across said run way in front of the label and edgewise across the rear end of the label.

6. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, a paste-belt to travel edgewise across said runway and means to incline said belt toward the direction in which the cans move.

7. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, a plate with openings arranged to hold the end of the label down in said runway, and a pastebelt to travel adjacent to said plate and adapted to be moved onto said plate by the can passing through the runway.

8. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, a plate arranged to hold the end of the label down in said runway, a paste-belt to travel adjacent to said plate and adapted to be moved onto said plate, and a plate arranged over said belt adapted to be moved by a can passing through the runway onto said belt.

9. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, a plate arranged to hold the end of the label down in said runway, a paste-belt to travel adjacent to said plate and adapted to be moved onto said plate, and a plate with openings arranged over said belt adapted to be depressed onto the belt by a can passing through the runway.

10. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a label-holder adapted to expose a label in said runway, a plate arranged tohold the rear end of the label down in said runway, and an independent arm pivoted at one end above the runway to swing in a vertical plane and having its other or free end normally extending into the path of the cans and adapted to rest on the forward end of the exposed label to hold the same down, said arm being lifted by the can passing through the runway and under the arm.

11. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the cans, a paste-belt for applying paste directly to the sides of the cans crossing said runway, covers at the sides of the runway adapted to extend over said belt to prevent the application of paste to the sides of the can near its ends.

12. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of a runway for the-cans, a paste-belt for applying paste directly to the sides of the cans crossing said runway, depressible covers at the sides of the runway adapted to extend over said paste-belt to prevent the application of paste to the sides of thecan near its ends.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL E. MORRAL. I JOHN MORRAL.

Witnesses:

J. A. SUTTON, F. W. STOLL. 

